I don't understand all this reading I do about Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome and why a lot of it says that these conditions don't cause inflammation. Both of these cause nerve excitement, one from the CNS, and possible tissues and the other from trigger points. Doesn't it make sense that all these electrical firings would stimulate inflammation? So maybe they are not direct causes of inflammation but indirect causes of inflammation. The symptoms causing other symptoms.
I would like to know that you think. I have yet to find a rheumatologist. It all makes sense if I add up additional problems like boughts with Costochondritis.
I'm seeing a trigger point massage therapist once a week, and I feel like I'm slowly getting the puzzle put back together. She says I'm covered in layers and layers of trigger points. They spread from the top of my body down to my legs.
I think there must be some sort of inflammation, because my pain responds best to anti-inflammatory medication.
Plus heat and ice pack treatments that work for some of us are usually used to treat "inflammation" with fairly good effect.
I too have read up on myofascial pain and I believe that the outer muscle membrane - fascia, does become inflamed and then results in our muscular aches and pains.
The thing to remember is Fibro isn't only misfiring nerves, it's also how our brains perceive pain.
When someone else has tired feet, we have so much pain we can't stand- our brain is "making a mountain out of a mole hill".
There can be a problem/injury, that for someone else is minor but for us is a debilitating, crippling pain. It's next to impossible to know if a pain is just an odd misfire of nerves because of Fibro, or if there is an actual problem just being inflamed by Fibro (I've had to stop assuming that all my pain was from Fibro and actually go to the Dr)
You may notice inflammation because of a chain reaction- you feel pain, you stop moving, joint freezes up because you haven't used it, you try to use it again and because of the inactivity it causes Real pain and inflammation (which hurts more because of the Fibro) and so on. It's a great cycle of pain
How I see that I'm having inflammation, I'm swelling, my flesh feels mushy. I can feel the heat on the area with my hands, other's can feel it, I breathe out hotter than normal air, but I have no fever.
Granted I have no way of knowing what is actually causing this, but I would like to know if anyone has similar symptoms. Especially if they also have a lot of trigger points.
Are they sure, are you sure, that you do not have arthritis, that IS inflammatory! Just a thought I'm throwing out there, I am not a medical professional, but besides Fibro, I have autoimmune arthritis.
I think your right. I've been looking at these lumps on my hands. I noticed them 6 months ago, they have doubled in size, but they are still not that noticable, as they mostly grow out instead of up. I didn't know that Rheumatoid Arthritis could cause muscle spasms, until I put it into a browser last night. I've had horrible muscle spasms for the last year and a half. I take baclofen, it's a life saver.
I've found more lumps on my hands. Some on my feet, but something big, I can't tell.
I've been looking up things on my body and seeing if they match up to rheumatoid arthritis. I have Beau’s lines on my toe nails and some on my thumbs. I have Interstitial granulomatous dermatitis on my upper arms and sometimes on the top of my chest.
Yeah I've been having fun finding a Rheumatologist. The first one didn't except me, betting it's because my general doctor didn't send detailed enough notes. At least this guy isn't totally dissmissive like the other guys who took better notes. The second one I'm reffering to knows my husband and thinks he can get it to go through regardless. Fun times!
Not sure if you've joined the fibro and arthritis group yet, but I have photo galleries of all the types of arthritis, it may be of help to you, the info may also help!
Hope you soon find 'your Doctor', took me 6 or 7 years to find my Rheum, even though I already had the GP and DC!